1
as in feel
a feeling that something bad will happen
I had a nagging presage that the results of my medical tests would not be good
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in forerunner
something believed to be a sign or warning of a future event
the sight of the first robin is always a welcome presage of spring
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to predict
to tell of or describe beforehand
people used to believe that a comet presaged a major event, such as the death of a king
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of presage
Jennifer Culp, Them, 16 Aug. 2024
As the ending of the story perhaps presages, Martha is on the cusp of a change in her life.
—Deborah Treisman, The New Yorker, 28 July 2024
Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025
Italian Conceptual artist and theorist Franco Vaccari, whose participatory photographic works presaged the logics of social media and helped photography gain recognition as an art form, died on December 12.
—News Desk, Artforum, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for presage
Noun
The New Moon in Virgo, which occurs shortly after Mercury turns direct, presages really big beginnings throughout the zodiac.
—Jennifer Culp, Them, 16 Aug. 2024
As the ending of the story perhaps presages, Martha is on the cusp of a change in her life.
—Deborah Treisman, The New Yorker, 28 July 2024
Verb
In other seasons, that minor miscue would’ve presaged a bitter and deserved ending and another loss to their rivals, who were operating with their backup quarterback Malik Willis after Jordan Love left with a concussion in the second quarter.
—Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025
Italian Conceptual artist and theorist Franco Vaccari, whose participatory photographic works presaged the logics of social media and helped photography gain recognition as an art form, died on December 12.
—News Desk, Artforum, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for presage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for presage
Noun
-
The feel around this matchup is a little different as Peterson has dealt with a number of health issues, while Dybantsa has played all 20 games.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
31 Jan. 2026
-
DeZarate used an iced jade roller to bring down any puffiness and massaged my skin with La Mer Moisturizing Matte Lotion for that truly luxurious feel.—
Jesa Marie Calaor,
Allure,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The forerunner of British Invasion took the summit of American entertainment, which was a huge deal across generations.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Manufactured between 1960 and 1980, Scouts were beefy 4x4s and a forerunner to the SUV.—
Justin Wingerter,
Denver Post,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Next, the researchers aim to improve their technique further, with the goal of predicting not only when solar activity will intensify, but also where on the sun’s surface active regions are likely to form.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Feb. 2026
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The team predicts that, within five years, blood tests for early Parkinson’s diagnoses could become more common within clinical practice.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Whether Montgomery had a premonition or not, the Blues suddenly found themselves in a shootout on Friday.—
Jeremy Rutherford,
New York Times,
17 Jan. 2026
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Most strikingly, some are from the near future, and have an uncanny resemblance to premonitions.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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If that is the case, the Ring Nebula could be a portent of what awaits Earth in around 5 billion years when the sun runs out of fuel for nuclear fusion and puffs out to become a red giant.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
19 Jan. 2026
-
Carol’s favorite, Bella Donna, does not carry the same dark portents.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
12 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
His greatest fear is summer — when warm weather could bring even larger crowds if enforcement is still ongoing.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Students without legal status couldn’t speak out without fear of deportation, and universities were rushing to determine how to implement the ruling.—
Lily Kepner,
Austin American Statesman,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Alessandro Michele, at Valentino, was also thinking of how to collide reality and fantasy, staging his collection in nooks inspired by the kaiser panorama, an early 20th century precursor to cinema, in which viewers sat around a circle, staring into a contraption displaying slides.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
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Passionate about utopian socialism and architecture, Gaudí’s forms and shapes were totally fresh, otherworldly and are sometimes referred to as a precursor of the Surrealist movement, of which Salvador Dalí was a key proponent.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Apple has been caught in the fray on worries that a tight memory cycle will eat into hardware gross margins, given that products such as iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and Macs heavily use DRAM and NAND flash memory.—
Pia Singh,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
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There are significant worries that AI can readily go off the rails or otherwise dispense unsuitable or even egregiously inappropriate mental health advice.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Presage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/presage. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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